MTN FOUNDATION LAUNCHES YELLOW HEART CAMPAIGN

The
MTN Foundation, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and other
healthcare agencies, has launched the Yellow Heart Campaign, an initiative
which aligns with global efforts to meet the Sustainable Development Goals’
health targets and the global strategy for women and children’s health.

The
campaign, which is designed to reduce maternal and child mortality by increasing
the levels of awareness and perception of the phenomenon in our country and
galvanizing action to support ongoing efforts, was launched at an event in
Abuja on Thursday, 26 October 2017.

Commenting
on the importance and rationale for this initiative, Minister of Health,
Professor Isaac Adewole said “The health of women and children is of paramount
importance to the development of any society and this is why the Federal
Government, through the Ministry of Health, has set up a task force
specifically designed to stem maternal and infant mortality rates in the
country. The partnership with MTN Foundation, through the Yellow Heart
Initiative will further accelerate the progress already being recorded by the
task force.”

“I
commend the MTN Foundation for birthing this initiative and for also improving
the quality of life of various Nigerian communities through their numerous
interventions.” He concluded.

Also
commenting on MTN’s decision to support the Federal Ministry of Health on this
initiative, Executive Secretary, MTN Foundation, Nonny Ugboma said “most deaths
of mothers and children in our communities can be prevented using existing
knowledge, and proven cost-effective interventions.”

This
is a global problem; according to UN reports, since 1990, maternal deaths have
dropped by 45 percent, however every single day in 2016 about 800 women died
from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. In the same year,
15,000 children died before their fifth birthday, 46% of them (7,000 babies)
died in the first 28 days of life. The main causes were preventable and
treatable.

Sadly,
despite multiple interventions by the public and private sectors, Nigeria
remains one of the largest contributors to global maternal and child mortality
rates.

With
this commitment, the Foundation has partnered with the Ministry of Health on multiple
projects related to this cause. This includes the Maternal Ward Support project
which has facilitated the renovation of 24 maternal wards across the country,
and the ‘Y’ello Doctor’ project which has seen Mobile clinics supporting the
medical needs of mothers and children commissioned in six states.